▲ South Korea national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo watches his team train at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on the 15th (local time), ahead of their second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
A commotion occurred during a closed training session for the South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, after an illegal drone appeared over the pitch.
Thanks to the swift actions of on-site personnel, the training session concluded normally without any tactical leaks.
On June 17, Hong's squad held a fully closed training session for approximately one hour and 30 minutes at the Chivas Valle Verde training ground in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, in preparation for their second Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Mexico.
After opening their training session to the media for about 15 minutes yesterday, the team restricted access to the facility two days ahead of the match.
However, an illegal drone appeared in the sky above the training ground early in the session while the players were performing warm-up exercises.
A security officer for the national team spotted the drone, and a Mexican military drone-jamming unit stationed at the base camp neutralized the device by emitting radio waves, causing it to crash.
The team's safety officer, along with local police and military personnel, moved to the crash site to secure the drone.
However, two men suspected of operating the drone retrieved it and fled the scene.
The escape was captured on video by the national team's own filming crew at the training ground.
The exact nationalities or identities of the individuals have not yet been confirmed.
A FIFA safety officer assigned to the team has requested an investigation by the Mexican police.
Local police have since launched an investigation.
The Korea Football Association has also reported the incident to FIFA and requested cooperation to prevent any recurrence.
As of now, there have been no updates from the police investigation or further feedback from FIFA.
A team official explained, "The situation was resolved before the tactical training began, during the warm-up phase, so there was no impact on the exposure of the team's tactics."
The official added, "At this point, we cannot determine whether they were trying to scout our team, if they were foreign media, or just ordinary individuals."
After the situation was resolved, the entire squad of 28 players, including Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) and Kim Tae-hyeon (Kashima) who have recovered from injuries, as well as two training partners, completed the session as planned.
South Korea is set to face Mexico in their second group stage match at Guadalajara Stadium on June 19 at 10:00 a.m.
Mexico currently leads Group A after a 2-0 victory over South Africa in their first match, while South Korea sits in second place following a 2-1 win against the Czech Republic.
The outcome of this upcoming match is expected to determine the top spot in the group.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.